Lilleshall graduate with the record-breaking fee fails to live up to expectations, or he'd be at Barcelona by now - but he's helping the Swans take flight
A graduate of the now-defunct FA National School of Excellence at Lilleshall and a former Arsenal trainee, Britton joined West Ham for £400,000 in 1998 – the highest fee paid for a 16-year-old at that time.
Unable to live up to the price tag, he joined Swansea on loan in December 2002 and helped the club escape the drop into the Conference. Named in the PFA Team of the Year that season, his displays from the right side of midfield proved to be the missing link for the Swans, and his hard running and outlet for the club’s forward line clinched a permanent move in June 2003.
He has since played a key role in the Swans' rise up the leagues and in February 2008 played his 200th game for the club.